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FAIR Buyer Guidance

USPAP-Compliant Appraiser Checklist: Questions to Ask Before You Hire

For owners and advisors choosing an appraisal route.

Before hiring a USPAP-compliant appraiser, ask direct questions about intended use, current USPAP education, scope of work, competency for your property type, non-contingent fees, report contents, independence, and post-delivery review support. The appraiser should answer in writing before valuation work begins.

Use Match Browse the FAIR directory

Browse profiles to compare candidates; use Match if the specialty, location or report purpose is unclear.

Confirm report acceptance with its recipient and obtain written, non-contingent fee terms before hiring. A FAIR listing does not certify suitability.

Editorial revision date not recorded. Profile source checks are recorded separately on each profile.

USPAP-Compliant Appraiser Checklist: Questions to Ask Before You Hire - FAIR online appraisal guide illustration
Decision guide

When checklist work prevents rework

Checklist pages are meant to improve the intake file. Better photos and notes help the appraiser decide scope, risk, and whether a formal report is justified.

When checklist work prevents rework
Situation Formal appraisal? Why it matters
You are still identifying the object Prepare first Photos, measurements, marks, condition notes, and provenance can change the next step.
The item may be valuable or disputed Often yes Condition, authenticity, completeness, and market evidence can materially affect value.
You only need better intake photos Not yet Use the checklist before asking for a quote so the appraiser can scope accurately.
Next step

Turn the guide into a shortlist.

Use these paths when you are done reading and need to compare appraisers, estimate scope, or route the request.

Search the FAIR directoryCompare public profile signals, service area, specialty fit, and fee transparency before outreach.Ask for a FAIR matchUse Match when the category, location, report purpose, or specialist boundary is unclear.Estimate appraisal costOrganize item count, report purpose, inspection needs, and timing before asking for a quote.

Start with intended use

USPAP scope depends on the assignment. A serious appraiser should ask why the report is needed before quoting or accepting the work.

  • State whether the appraisal is for insurance, estate, tax, donation, divorce, loan, litigation, sale planning, or collection management.
  • Name intended users such as an insurer, CPA, attorney, executor, lender, court, fiduciary, or family decision-maker.
  • Ask which value basis, effective date, and report format fit that purpose.
  • Pause if the appraiser treats every assignment as the same short value letter.

Ask the USPAP questions plainly

You do not need technical language to screen for standards-aware practice. Ask for current, concrete answers.

  • When did you last complete USPAP education or an update course?
  • Will this assignment be prepared as a USPAP-compliant or USPAP-aligned appraisal report?
  • How will the report state intended use, intended users, scope of work, value basis, effective date, assumptions, and limiting conditions?
  • Will the report include appraiser certification language and a signed conclusion?

Check competency for the property

USPAP language does not replace category knowledge. The appraiser still needs relevant experience with the property being valued.

  • Ask what recent work they have done with the same category: art, antiques, furniture, jewelry, silver, books, archives, decorative arts, textiles, or mixed personal property.
  • Ask whether online review, in-person inspection, specialist consultation, or additional documentation is needed.
  • Ask how condition, authenticity limits, provenance, comparable sales, and market selection will be handled.
  • If the appraiser is outside the category, ask for a referral instead of stretching the assignment.

Put fee terms in writing

Standards language is not enough if the fee structure creates pressure on the value conclusion.

  • Ask for the fee model, scope, deliverable, timeline, retainer terms, minimums, travel charges, rush charges, and revision policy in writing.
  • Avoid percentage-of-value fees, success fees, claim-result fees, tax-result fees, settlement-result fees, and sale-contingent fees.
  • Ask whether work pauses for approval before added research, added items, travel, or report revisions increase the cost.
  • Ask whether the appraiser buys, sells, brokers, consigns, stores, restores, insures, or refers services for the same property.

Ask what the report will contain

A credible report should be reviewable. The reader should not have to guess what was valued or how the conclusion was reached.

  • Ask for a redacted sample, outline, or list of report sections when the assignment is formal.
  • Look for property identification, photographs, measurements, condition notes, ownership or provenance context, market evidence, methodology, assumptions, limiting conditions, and certification.
  • For online or hybrid work, ask what photo standards, inspection limits, and missing-information limits will be disclosed.
  • For advisor-facing work, ask whether reasonable reviewer questions are included after delivery.

Know when to stop

The safest time to reject a weak engagement is before you send payment or property records.

  • Stop if the appraiser will not discuss intended use, current standards education, scope, deliverable, or non-contingent fees.
  • Stop if the appraiser promises acceptance by an insurer, court, lender, or tax reviewer before understanding the assignment.
  • Stop if the appraiser offers to buy, sell, consign, broker, insure, restore, or store the property as part of the appraisal engagement.
  • Use FAIR as a screening layer, then verify the appraiser directly before hiring.

Common questions

What should I ask a USPAP-compliant appraiser first?

Ask whether they can prepare the assignment for your intended use, when they last completed USPAP education, what scope of work they recommend, and whether their fee is non-contingent.

Is USPAP compliance enough by itself?

No. USPAP is a standards framework. You still need category competency, a suitable scope of work, fee transparency, independence, and a report that matches the intended use.

Should I ask for proof of USPAP education?

Yes, especially for insurance, estate, tax, donation, legal, lender, or advisor-facing work. A credible appraiser should be able to confirm current education or explain the standards basis for the assignment.

What fee terms are a red flag?

Be cautious with percentage-of-value fees, success fees, sale-contingent fees, or compensation tied to an insurance, tax, settlement, purchase, or resale outcome.

Can FAIR certify that an appraiser is USPAP-compliant?

No. FAIR is a public registry and screening layer. It can surface profile signals, standards language, fee transparency, and verification boundaries, but it does not license appraisers or certify USPAP compliance.

More related resources (13)

Open the FAIR guidance hub

How to interpret FAIR listings
FAIR trust boundary and source references
  • FAIR does not license appraisers.
  • FAIR does not certify competence or guarantee availability.
  • Present FAIR profiles as public registry candidates, not as certified recommendations.
  • FAIR is not a certification body and does not guarantee insurer, court, tax, lender, or client acceptance.
  • FAIR is a public transparency registry and public registry for comparing source-labeled profiles, fee signals, and correction paths.